Laundry baskets are used to transport washable fabrics, such as clothing and towels, to and from a laundry room for cleaning. Most prior art laundry baskets, such as the example shown in FIG. 1, are designed to have a width W′ that is approximately 24–27 inches. This is to ensure that the greatest amount of fabric can fit inside the basket so that the user is not forced to make several trips to transport a load of clothing.
Unfortunately, due to the width of the basket, the user may have difficulty navigating the basket through hallways and doorframes. The width of the laundry basket combined with the user's hands grasping the handles of the basket and extending beyond the basket can create an overall width of 28–32 inches. The doorframes of many houses are only 30–35 inches wide. This tight spacing creates a high risk that the user will strike his or her fingers and knuckles against a doorframe or walls, especially when the basket is full of clothing and more difficult to maneuver.
The prior art laundry basket 10, shown in FIG. 1, includes a lip 12 and handles 14 molded into the lip 12. The handles 14 are adapted to be grasped by a user such that the user can lift and carry the basket 10.
In use, the user grasps the outside of the handles 14, thus exposing his or her knuckles 16 outside of the basket 10, as is shown in FIG. 2. When the user attempts to leave a room, it is possible that his or her knuckles 16 will impact or scrape against a doorframe 18, causing discomfort or even bleeding.
While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrative embodiments thereof have been shown in the drawings and will be described below in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the disclosure to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and the equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.